Wednesday, March 16, 2005

Food Groups

I made the most amazing discovery yesterday…

On my way home from a doc appointment, I stopped by John’s Grocery (www.johnsgrocery.com) for a few necessities. An Iowa City icon for 57 years, Dirty John’s, as it’s known around town, is the best little grocery store I’ve ever been in. Not only do they have a phenomenal wine department run by Wally the Wine Guy, they have a huge beer selection, too. Not surprising in the Cultural Mecca of Iowa City. Where else would one serve Paulaner Hefe-Weizen by the keg at a summer party?

I love good beer. I’m a bit picky, mostly because of my sensitivity to and dislike for bitter flavors. I love dark, thick, sweet beer, like some cream and imperial stouts, and most of the porters. My favorites include Samuel Smith’s Oatmeal Stout and Nut Brown Ale, and Young’s Double Chocolate Stout. I don’t mind spending a little extra for these old standbys or to try new brews. I’d rather drink two really yummy beers than a six-pack of Miller Light any day.

Yesterday I decided to treat myself. I perused the large and varied selection, debating whether it’s far enough into spring for a Belgian Witbier or some Lindermans Peche Lambic (don’t want to rush these things), when a seasonal domestic caught my eye. In my opinion, Sam Adams is the best main-stream domestic on the market. The Boston Lager can cause even die-hard Bud fans to think twice when ordering, and they make the only drinkable light beer, as far as I’m concerned. Their seasonal brews are something to be on the lookout for and I’ve been known to stock up on one or two.

The beer in question was a double bock, which I’ve been told is made from the residue collected when breweries clean their brewing kegs. It is dark, sweet, and often pretty potent. Kind of the cream of beer. Yum. No debating over this one—I immediately picked up a six-pack.

As I waited in the checkout line, the chocolate section caught my eye. Steve had recently read to me an article in US News and World Report which revealed the results of recent studies in nutrition. Chocolate was listed as valid nutritional supplement—I know, gals, that this is not news to us, but at least now it’s been proven scientifically. Being part of a long line of chocoholics, and figuring I can use all the nutrition I can get, I chose Lindt’s Reduced Sugar Dark Chocolate. It has less fat and sugar than most others, which, in my opinion, makes for a better dark chocolate. Divine.

Despite the early hour (4:10 pm, 50 minutes before Happy Hour) and not being one for delayed gratification, I poured myself a glass of double bock as soon as I got home. Dark, sweet, creamy, it’s everything I’d hoped. Mmmmmmm… I’m definitely going back to John’s to purchase all the Sam Adam’s Double Bock they have! I also couldn’t wait for a piece of chocolate, so I broke off a chunk and chewed it a bit before letting it melt on my tongue. Mmmmmmm… Then, without thinking, I took a swig of the beer before the chocolate was completely gone. Absolute heaven! As good as they are alone, the combination of the two flavors is truly orgasmic. I even dreamt about it later that night. When I awoke at 3am to pee (as is my usual schedule), I had to fight to resist pouring a small glass of the delectable brew and breaking off a few squares of the Lindt’s. This is obviously not a wise thing for a diabetic to do. I’ll just have to wait until Happy Hour.

--Lu

Incidentally, Alcoholism does not run in my family and I’m fortunate that my folks were able to teach me by example that it is possible to drink responsibly and in moderation. True, I have been spotted at the local pub with a few tee many empty martoonie glasses in front of me, but it doesn’t happen very often, largely due to the fact that I’m prone to horrendous hangovers. Also, I am keenly aware that alcohol reduces the efficacy of antidepressants, which is not a good thing for me.

Yummy Yummy Yummy!!!! Sam Adam's any variety! But the Double Bock is really special. Oh, DB don't know if they still do it but Bennigan's used to have a club called the Copper Clover with an attempt to sample 100 beers, fun stuff, you might want to check on that!

There are a lot of degrading words used to describe girls and women. One of them is “Chick.” Since we rarely resemble small fuzzy farmyard animals, this term is rather absurd. Instead, we've reclaimed the word, reformatted it and are offering a new and improved definition. See the 1st post, Hot Chiks Code, in the Oct. archives.